A group of 19 Republican senators is vowing to defeat two of President Barack Obama’s nominations for the National Labor Relations Board after the panel sued Boeing, accusing the aerospace giant of retaliating against union workers.

In a letter sent to Obama, the senators said they would “vigorously oppose” and use all procedural tools to block the confirmations of the board’s Acting General Counsel Lafe Solomon and board member Craig Becker, a former union attorney whom Obama granted a recess appointment last year.

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POLITICO 44

The NLRB suit against Boeing is “an attack on millions of workers in 22 right-to-work states, as well as a government-led act of intimidation against American companies that should have the freedom to choose to build plants in right-to-work states,” states the letter, which was made public on Thursday. “If the NLRB prevails, it will only encourage companies to make their investments in foreign nations, moving jobs and economic growth overseas.”

The letter is the latest salvo in a national fight over so-called right-to-work states, which prohibit employers from requiring workers to join a union or pay union dues as a condition of employment. Wisconsin’s efforts to restrict union rights for public employees set off weeks of protests by labor groups in Madison earlier this year.

On Wednesday, South Carolina GOP Sens. Lindsey Graham and Jim DeMint, as well as Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.), rolled out legislation that would bar the federal government from suing or denying contracts to states because of their right-to-work status.

Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), who signed the letter, took to the Senate floor Thursday to blast the lawsuit NLRB filed against Boeing, saying it would cost billions of dollars and thousands of new jobs. The board filed suit in April after a union sued the aerospace manufacturer for opening a second assembly line for its 787s at a nonunion facility in South Carolina instead of union-friendly Washington state, where Boeing has facilities.

“Why attack a private company with a legal challenge that will cost an enormous amount of money to defend, disrupts business, undermines the efforts of states to increase jobs and promote economic recovery, but that will fail for its lack of merit? The answer is simple: The unions wanted it,” Hatch said. “This is just another chapter in the sorry relationship between unions, big government and the party of big government.”

In January, Obama nominated Solomon to become NLRB’s general counsel, but Solomon has not yet appeared for a Senate confirmation hearing or received a confirmation vote in the full Senate.

Becker’s nomination to become one of five members of NLRB’s board was rejected by the Senate in February 2010 over concerns about his work for Service Employees International Union and the AFL-CIO. But Obama used a recess appointment to seat temporarily seat him a month later.

“The Senate has been unacceptably denied the ability to exercise its constitutional duty of advice and consent in regards to the NLRB,” the senators wrote in their letter to Obama “We urge you to withdraw both Mr. Solomon’s and Mr. Becker’s nominations to their respective positions immediately. If not, we will vigorously oppose both nominations, vote against cloture and use all procedural tools available to defeat their confirmation in the Senate.”

People on the left object when Obama and his administration are defined as socialist by nature. Yet the actions the Labor Board took on behalf of unions prove that meme to be very accurate. True Socialist regimes use government to manipulate and coerce private business to conform to what they determine is in the public interest. Free enterprise and capitalism on the other hand allow the owners of business to make business decisions which are in their best interest. The two systems are not compatible yet Obama and the socialists want to force the issue. If there was any reason for America to rue the day Obama was elected, this latest abuse ought to be enough fuel for that fire.

SC is a former slave state trying to return to that glorious past with the likes of jim Demented leading the way. If the case is without merit a judge will deem it so. But I see exactly what the Boeing company is doing which is a legal/economic maneuver. The unions have every right to make a case to the NLRB (they represent labor relations my good fellows) and were convincing enough to mount this maneuver on their side. Even Steven I'd say. Using a state's law to outdo the union so the union uses a federal rights commission charged with seeking LR fairness to even the playing field. Obama does not need to get Senate confirm, all he neds to do is re-appoint during a recess. The guys work for free in the meantime. What a deal.

The concept originally was that the NLRB was to be an arbiter for fairness to both sides, companies and employess, not just unions. When the Dems controlled the House and Senate both they attempted to stack the panel with Union ideology driven liberals. It is not even steven sir and has never been that way. Just another government panel that dispenses labor relations case decisions by making up law as they go with little oversight. This panel, along with the EPA, the Dept of Education, and the Dept of Energy should be disbanded and the dollars saved reduced from the huge deficit spending that is going on in D.C.

The ranting right-wingers are those who were likely bullied as children and bullied, manipulated, or they simply bought into the go-along-to-get-ahead, take the money, the system worked for me--to hell with everybody else crowd--the Republican way. It is clear they have never put themselves at risk: never organized or negotiated a union contract; never lost their "at-will" jobs exposing corporate corruption; never sued a corporation at the state or federal level; never initiated a congressional inquiry or filed a Dept. of Labor/Justice/Inspector General/NLRB complaint. I have done all these things over 40 years of "honor above self" activism from the military, to the private sector, to government and paid dearly.

Workers forget that all the employment benefits they take for granted including Social Security, Medicare/Medicaid, minimum wage, OSHA, workman's comp, 8-hour-days, 40-hour-weeks, paid overtime, paid leave, holiday pay, pensions, right to organize, the NLRB, etc. were brought forth not because of generous or altrusitic corporations but by the struggle and even death of unionists, progressives, and Democrats.

For the poorly-educated and/or partisan, Republicans have historically NEVER represented the working class and that has never been more in evidence by today's GOP (Greed On Parade) folks. The NLRB was worthless under Republican administrations (like the EPA, OSHA, EEO, consumer protection, etc.) and even under Democrats, unless you wear an uncover wire, keep detailed copious notes and possess reproducable records of wrongdoing, etc., the average working guy is facing an uphill battle against corporations. The rest of you armchair activist blowhards are talking, as usual, out of your butts. Likely all of you have never dealt with the NLRB or even know what it does.

The Labor Relations Board is doing what it was created to do. Blatant illegal activity by a corporation must be addressed.

I have seen the NLRB in action on labor disputes and their first approach is a push for conciliation and interest based bargaining between labor and management.

If you believe that labor and management must always be diametrically opposed, then you wouldn't understand how good faith bargaining is possible. The NLRB knows the way and has been instructing both sides of the table in constructive engagement for over 15 years.

Mr. Hall, it seems to me that it is you that "blows the hardest". You rant about all the things that labor unions have brought to the oppressed poor man that couldn't possibly have made it on their own without you. While collective bargaining may have won some of the things mentioned, I venture to say that hard work for the right companies would have gotten them for most also, and without the union dues to pay for the salaries and bennies for the likes of Trumpka and his cronies. While your described background may be indeed impressive, especially to you, there are a great many who have survived without you or your unions and did quite nicely thank you. Enjoy Gm and Chrysler; let's see if you and your union friends can learn to manage an operation instead of holding a gun to it's head?

"Workers forget that all the employment benefits they take for granted including Social Security, Medicare/Medicaid, minimum wage, OSHA, workman's comp, 8-hour-days, 40-hour-weeks, paid overtime, paid leave, holiday pay, pensions, right to organize, the NLRB, etc. were brought forth not because of generous or altrusitic corporations but by the struggle and even death of unionists, progressives, and Democrats."

I SAY AMEN TO COMMENT # “13”

Digging a little deeper into the issue: Much of the power to destroy organized labor is the U.S. is derived from what are called the “Right To Work” laws. In reality, they are the “Right To Slave” laws. Typical of which are those law in S. Carolina and my State of VA. I have another name for them: “The PARASITE Protection Laws” That suggests that where a union has been chosen to negotiate on behalf of the employees, those workers who were in the minority not endorsing the union can obtain all of the benefits achieved by the union without ever contributing a dime. Most States do not support the parasites and have a “union shop” rule.

We in the U.S. live in a highly integrated economy allowing firms to expand and move around as they please. This allows firms like Boeing to use the move option to dodge the collective bargaining principal. and with intent to ruin labor unions.

Congress should not allow States like VA and S. Carolina to engage in such tactics. Thank the Lord for the US constitution and its Commerce Clause. Pass a law which will bring uniformity and JUSTICE to labor management issues across the entire Country. We need a federal “Anti Parasite Law.”